The buzz surrounding Mammootty's latest release,
Parole
, has been relatively minimal, probably because it's not billed as a mass entertainer the megastar has been part of lately. That is perhaps also the reason why the movie is important to the actor as it tries to make use of Mammootty's performance rather than his stardom.
Director Sharrath Sandith, who has worked with the star for over a decade in advertisements, helms the movie that is based on a real-life story.
The film starts by introducing Alex (Mammootty) who is a much-loved prisoner. His back story about who he is and how he ends up in the prison is what the first half is about.
Within 40 minutes of the film, the movie does pack the usual ingredients of a Mammootty film - two bone crunching, high-flying, slow motion action sequences, several Good Samaritan acts and a romance where the female protagonist is blown away by the hero's idealism.
The film has some colourful frames. However, the script is uneven and digresses too often from the central plot, interrupting the flow of a movie, which is 2 hours and 30 minutes long.
Miya plays Mammootty's sister and Ineya his wife. Suraj Venjaramoodu has a pivotal role as Varghese, whose shady actions have far-reaching repercussions to Alex's family.
The interval though has a jolting scene, which also injects new life to a predictable path the director takes to tell the story.